Gratitude Gobbles Lesson Plan Gratitude & Gobbles
Individual Coping Skills Lesson (Tier 3)
30 Minutes
Why This Matters
Learning healthy coping skills helps students navigate difficult feelings, reduce stress, and develop resilience. By linking these skills to a familiar holiday, it makes the concepts more relatable and memorable for young learners.
Objective
Students will identify and practice at least two healthy coping skills to manage challenging emotions, connecting these skills to Thanksgiving-themed scenarios.
Prep Checklist
Review Gobble Up Great Feelings Slide Deck
Print and cut Coping Skills Feast Activity pieces
Print and cut Thanksgiving Scenario Cards
Print My Gobble-Good Worksheet
Ensure a quiet, comfortable Tier 3 workspace
Instructional Steps
1
Warm-Up: How Are We Feeling Today?
5 Minutes
Greeting & Check-in: Greet the student and ask, "How are you feeling today?"
Introduce Theme: "It's almost Thanksgiving! Today, we're going to talk about how we can have 'gobble-good' feelings, even when things are a little tricky."
Introduce Coping Skills: "Just like we have special tools for cooking dinner, we have special tools inside us called coping skills that help us when we feel sad, mad, or frustrated."
2
Story Time: The Grumpy Turkey
10 Minutes
Present Story: Use the Slide Deck to tell Tommy the Turkey's story.
Pause & Discuss: Ask: "How did the turkey feel? What made him feel that way? What could he do to feel better?"
Guide: Transition the conversation toward positive strategies Tommy might use.
3
Activity: Coping Skills Feast Sort
10 Minutes
The Feast: Explain the Coping Skills Feast Activity . We'll sort food items into "Gobble-Good" (helpful) and "Uh-Oh" (not helpful) skills.
Model: Show how to sort 1-2 items first, explaining your reasoning.
Practice: Let the student sort the rest. Use 1-2 Scenario Cards to practice applying the "Gobble-Good" skills.
4
Wrap-Up: My Gobble-Good Coping Skills
5 Minutes
Review: Ask the student to name two skills they might try when they feel "tricky emotions."
Worksheet: Complete the My Gobble-Good Coping Skills Worksheet together.
Reinforcement: Praise the student's effort. "You have these tools inside you every day!"
Tier 3 Facilitation Tips
Individual Support
For students in Tier 3, focus on one skill at a time . If "Deep Turkey Breaths" resonates, spend more time practicing the physical action of puffing out their chest and breathing slowly.
Emotional Regulation
Allow the student to hold or move the "food items" physically. Tactile learning helps ground students when discussing potentially triggering emotions.
Gobble Up Great Feelings Slide Deck Gratitude & Gobbles
A Feast of Coping Skills!
Teacher: Welcome the student warmly. Ask how they are feeling today. Explain making feelings 'gobble-good'.
What are Coping Skills?
Tools to help us when we have big feelings!
Like when you are feeling:
😡 Mad
😭 Sad
😟 Worried
😤 Frustrated
Teacher: Explain big feelings are like needing tools to build or cook. Introduce coping skills as tools for feelings.
The Grumpy Turkey Story
🦃
Ruffled Feathers!
Tommy the Turkey was trying to help, but...
Napkins kept blowing away!
Tripped and spilled mashed potatoes!
What should Tommy do to feel better?
Teacher: Narrate story. Ask: "How did he feel? What caused it? What could he have done?"
Let's Create a
Coping Skills Feast!
Gobble-Good
Helpful Tools
Uh-Oh
Not-so-helpful
Time to Sort!
Teacher: Introduce sorting activity. Explain that some choices help us and some don't.
My Gobble-Good Skills
1
Which skills will you use?
2
Let's practice making great choices!
Teacher: Review skills. Student identifies 2 favorites. Complete worksheet. End with praise.
Coping Skills Feast Activity Coping Skills Feast Sort
Teacher Activity Kit
Instructions:
Print this page and cut out the cards along the dotted lines .
Have the student sort the cards into two piles: "Gobble-Good" and "Uh-Oh".
Discuss why each skill belongs in its category.
😋
Gobble-Good
Helpful & Kind Tools
😠
Uh-Oh!
Unhelpful Choices
Take 3 Deep Turkey Breaths
Breathe in slowly like a turkey puffing up
Ask for Help
Talk to a trusted grown-up
Talk About My Feelings
Use words to say how I feel
Draw a Picture
Express yourself with art
Count to Ten
Slowly, in my head
Go for a Short Walk
Move my body to feel better
Read a Book
Find a quiet story
Listen to Music
Relax with some tunes
Get a Hug
From a trusted grown-up
Play with a Toy
Take a short break with a favorite
Yell and Scream
Makes things harder for everyone
Hit Someone
Hurts others and causes problems
Break Something
Causes more stress and damage
Hide My Feelings
Doesn't help me feel better
Pout & Cross Arms
Doesn't solve the tricky problem
Say Mean Words
Hurts feelings and makes it worse
Cut along all dotted lines. Use the top headers to mark the sorting areas on the table.
Thanksgiving Scenario Cards Thanksgiving Scenario Cards
Practice Your Gobble-Good Skills
How to Use:
After the student has sorted the coping skills, read one scenario card aloud. Ask the student: "If this happened to you, which 'Gobble-Good Skill' would you use?" Encourage them to pick a card from their sorted pile or describe the action.
1
🧸
The Missing Turkey Toy
You are playing with your favorite toy turkey, and your little cousin comes over and snatches it right out of your hand! You feel angry and want to grab it back.
What "Gobble-Good Skill" could you use?
2
🥣
Gravy Disaster!
It's Thanksgiving dinner, and you're helping carry the gravy boat. Oops! You trip a little, and some gravy spills right onto your brand new shirt! You feel embarrassed and a little sad.
What "Gobble-Good Skill" could you use?
3
🥧
No More Pumpkin Pie
After dinner, you can't wait for a slice of pie! But when you get to the table, your brother has taken the last piece . You feel disappointed and a little frustrated.
What "Gobble-Good Skill" could you use?
4
🏠
The Loud Gathering
Your whole family is at your house, and it's really noisy ! Everyone is talking loudly and kids are running. You start to feel overwhelmed and want some quiet.
What "Gobble-Good Skill" could you use?
Cut along the thick dashed lines to create individual scenario cards.
My Gobble Good Coping Skills Worksheet My Gobble-Good Coping Skills
Thanksgiving is a time to feel grateful and happy! But sometimes, even on fun days, we might feel grumpy, sad, or frustrated. That's okay! We have special "Gobble-Good Coping Skills" to help us feel better.
Name:
Date:
Draw or write about Two coping skills you can use!
1
My First Gobble-Good Skill
What is it?
How will it help me?
2
My Second Gobble-Good Skill
What is it?
How will it help me?